Professor apologizes for remarks that angered Cafero, GOP (video)

Published 2:30 pm, Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Colleagues in the Connecticut Legislature bid farewell to Minority Leader Larry Cafero (R-142) as he announces that he would not seek reelection Wednesday at the Capitol.

Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Colleagues in the Connecticut Legislature bid farewell to Minority Leader Larry Cafero (R-142) as he announces that he would not seek reelection Wednesday at the Capitol.

Professor apologizes for remarks that angered Cafero, GOP (video)

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HARTFORD (AP) -- An adjunct English professor at Eastern Connecticut State University apologized Tuesday for comments he made about congressional Republicans that drew the ire of the state GOP's chairman and led the House minority leader to demand an apology from the floor of the House of Representatives.

In a written statement, Brent Terry said he "allowed my own political opinions to color the discussion" during a creative writing class on Monday.

"I regret the language I used and I apologize to any students in the room who were offended," he said. "As a liberal arts university, Eastern is known for encouraging debate and discussion about a host of social and political issues. My role in my own classroom is to keep the debate lively yet respectful. I did not meet that standard yesterday, and for that I am truly sorry."

In an audio tape of his remarks posted online, Terry said if Republicans take control of Congress, "colleges will start closing" because "they don't think money should go to giving you people dangerous ideas about how the world should be run."

Terry also spoke about "racist, misogynist, money-grabbing people" who want things to "go back to -- not to 1955, but to 1855" and don't want blacks, Latinos, older people and young people to vote "because generally, people like you are liberal."

House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, took the unusual step of speaking out during Tuesday's House session about Terry's comments. Cafero said lawmakers are allowed to make a "point of personal privilege" to defend themselves if they believe they've been attacked.

Cafero said he is a firm believer in academic freedom, but took offense "as a Republican, as a parent and frankly as a citizen of the state of Connecticut that we would have in our public universities a professor who would make such a comment."